10 October 2014: The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the UN Global Compact held a symposium to discuss the role of road transport in promoting sustainable growth, facilitating regional integration, improving safety and security, and reducing poverty. ‘Sustainable Transport as a Driver of Economic Development in the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ took place on 10 October 2014, in New York, US.

Nikhil Seth, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), opened the symposium by deconstructing the word ‘sustainable’ before transport, which he said brings in several dimensions including safety, affordability, accessibility, public health, de-congestion, lowering emissions, rural-urban linkages, resilience of cities, and clean fuels/electric vehicles, while also conjuring a large term vision of prosperity, mobility and integrated approaches. Janusz Lacny, IRU, said transport and infrastructure should be addressed in the post-2015 development agenda as one of the main drivers for sustainable development and peace and security.

Umberto de Pretto, IRU, identified key ways in which transport will drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): making supply chains sustainable; to reach landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) so they can benefit from globalization; to remove physical impediments to growth; creating jobs; and to ensure mobility and connectivity by making transport safe, user-friendly, green, efficient, and affordable. De Pretto highlighted time lost at border crossings as an example of how investments in soft infrastructure could have positive impacts on sustainable development, noting the environmental consequences of trucks waiting in line. He said “sustainability is profitability” as it implies medium-long term profit, and advised governments to increase trade to generate revenue for more infrastructure.

Andre Nikwigize, UN Office of the High Commissioner for the Least Developed Countries, LLDCs, and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), reported that LLDCs’ trade is 60% less than that of coastal countries, while the cost is 45% higher, and that the level of development is 20% lower than what it would be if the countries were not landlocked. Explaining that the percentage of paved roads in LLDCs has improved but reached only 34%, he identified infrastructure development as a priority.

On collaboration with the business sector, Georg Kell, UN Global Compact, highlighted the importance of partnerships and underlined that “being global means being local everywhere.” He cautioned that “there are dark clouds against neoliberalism and an open system, old ideologies are finding their way back disrupting markets and threatening the collaboration with the business sector.”

Igor Runov, IRU, said the UN Global Partnership for Sustainable Transport will be officially launched during the second international LLDCs conference, taking place on 3-5 November 2014, in Vienna, Austria. He said the partnership already has 36 members, and will focus on diverse areas related to sustainable development, such as education, healthcare and energy. The partnership will provide a platform for multilateral dialogue, involving all stakeholders from all areas of transportation. [Event webpage on IRU website][Event Information] [IISD RS Sources] [Second UN Conference on LLDCs]